What's a soulmate?
by myhogwartsletterlostinthemail
Summary: Established future Dandy drabbles. Each relates to a line of "What's a soulmate?"
1. Chapter 1

_Note: I do not typically write fanfic. However, I was inspired by a deep love of Dandy to write something about their happy future together. I was watching a fan video in another fandom, and someone used this quote, from "Dawson's Creek" about soulmates. I thought it was pretty applicable to Dandy. I'm planning to write a futuristic drabble on each line of this quote about Dandy. However, I have no idea how this will be received, so let me know if this is any good/ if you want me to continue. Enjoy!_

"What's a soulmate?"  
"It's a… Well, it's like a best friend, but more.

It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else.

It's someone who makes you a better person.

Well, actually, they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself because they inspire you.

A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever.

It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you,

and believed in you before anyone else did

or when no one else would.

And no matter what happens, you'll always love them."

xxxxx

**Chapter 1:** "What's a soulmate?" "Well, it's like a best friend, but more."

The Nora Ephron marathon at the multiplex- he's been hearing about that for months. She'd had it their fridge calendar since she heard about it in one of her many Nora Ephron Google Alerts.

He assumes that she's going with Gwen or Alex or Maggie or some combination of the group.

A few weeks before, when he finds out that it falls on their mutual day off each week, he's upset that he'll have to spend the day without her, but he understands that her unyielding love for everything Nora Ephron trumps everything else- always. As he thinks about it, he smirks as he can almost see her poking at his chest and saying, "And don't you forget it!"

That's why he's shocked when she's shaking him awake at 8 AM on their day off. He assumed she'd creep around trying to get ready at the crack of dawn, and leave one of her adorable notes in her wake, like the "Went for Starbucks. See you soon sweet cheeks! XO" she left last Tuesday morning.

"Danny!" she grumbles, "I need pancakes. Ephron fuel!"

He smirks at her cuteness, and rolls over to give her a slow kiss, ready to make her pancakes and send her on her way.

He steps out to make her a full pancake breakfast, and he smirks as he hears her sprint to the shower. She comes out about 30 minutes later, with her hair freshly dried and her make-up fully applied, wrapped in one of his button downs. He hands her a plate, while pressing a kiss to her lips, and she gives him a smile of thanks. As she sits down, she seems to look his profile up and down, and for some reason she finds it unsatisfactory, because a moment later a piece of bacon smacks him in the ear.

"What?!" he exclaims.

"Why aren't you getting ready? We're leaving in like ten minutes."

"You know it doesn't take me very long to get ready. I just put on some jeans and- Wait, we? I'm going with you?"

"Yeah! It's Dandy day!" she says as though it should be obvious.

"…Dandy day? What are you talking about?"

"Well, as you know, one of my many talents is naming celebrity couples, and we're basically just future celebrity doctors, like if Sanjay Gupta was actually a married couple who told people how to be healthy- don't you think that would be a great show Danny?"

"Min-"

"Oh, right! So since we're basically future celebrities, I gave us a celebrity couple name- Dandy! And this is our day, every week. Why would I spend it with anyone else?"

Her exuberance over naming their love softened into a sweet smile, and he abruptly turned back to the griddle so she wouldn't see him tearing up.

She stepped up behind him, and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You're my best friend, Danny. Why would I want to go with anyone else?"

He swallowed his tears and turned in her arms to face her. He pecked her forehead and then rested his chin on her hair.

"So I finally made it to the best friend tier, huh?"

She pulled back to look in his eyes, and smiled as she said, "Well, actually, I had to add a whole different category above the best friend tier just for you."


	2. Chapter 2

_Note: Wow. I was not expecting any response from this, much less the sweet notes I received. So thank you guys! Here's my take on the second line of that quote. Again- 1- Not a writer. 2- Let me know if you want more of this. _

"What's a soulmate?"  
"It's a… Well, it's like a best friend, but more.

It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else.

It's someone who makes you a better person.

Well, actually, they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself because they inspire you.

A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever.

It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you,

and believed in you before anyone else did

or when no one else would.

And no matter what happens, you'll always love them."

xxxxx

**Chapter 2:** "It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else."

She woke up to lips pressed against her forehead and a warm hand caressing her cheek. Without opening her eyes, she knew it was Danny, waking her up from her doctor's lounge nap to take her home, so she just turned her head and kissed his palm.

When she finally got up to stretch out her neck and gather her things, she noticed how tired Danny looked. They'd both had deliveries tonight, but his had been riddled with complications. He'd implored her multiple times to go home and go to bed, but he knew she couldn't be dissuaded.

She pressed a kiss to his jaw and grabbed his hand, as she swung her purse onto her shoulder.

"Everything go okay?"

"Yeah. Everyone's okay now."

She smiled at him as they walked to the subway hand in hand.

They both changed as quickly as they could, hoping to get a little sleep before they had to be at the office for their morning appointments.

They met back up in the bathroom, and picked up their toothbrushes at the same time. Their eyes connected in the mirror and they exchanged tired smiles. Danny was smeared toothpaste on each brush, when a heavy knock sounded on their front door.

They shared a puzzled glance before he set the brush and paste down, and he whispered,

"Stay here."

She opened her mouth to reply, but he had already closed the bathroom door firmly behind him. She pressed her ear to the door and held her breath. She heard the knocks again, louder this time, and waited to hear Danny's response.

"WHAT- What are you doing here! Oh my God, It's two in the morning?!"

His change in tone from aggressive to curious gave her enough security to leave her hiding spot and see what all the ruckus was about.

She turned the corner to find Danny in a group hug with Richie and Ramon in their open front door.

"Guys! What are you doing here?! It's so good to see you!"

She shoved Danny aside and gave them each a long hug.

"Well," Richie said, "We had some news so we took the last flight out to.."

"Come inside guys."

Later, they were all settled in the living room, drinking coffee and making small talk. Richie blurted out the news that he'd been waiting to share.

"Ramon and I eloped!"

He glanced at Danny seemingly worried at his reaction, only to be engulfed in a hug from his overzealous brother.

For the next few hours, the toasted the happy couple, and heard the story of their spur of the moment marriage.

They finally got Ramon and Richie settled in the guest room, and went back to their bathroom to resume their nightly ritual. He smiled at her tiredly, but they brushed their teeth in silence.

She leaned down to spit, and then looked back up into his eyes in the mirror. She gently bumped his shoulder with hers.

"You're upset you weren't there, aren't you?"

He winced, but leaned down to spit before he replied.

"No. I'm so happy for them both, and –"

She cut him off with a whispered, "Danny."

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, sagging tiredly into her warmth. He buried his face in her hair, and whispered, as though it was a secret weighing on his heart, "Yes. I-" He paused for a moment, and then continued. "I'm hurt that he did this without me."

She simply held him tighter and pressed small kisses into his neck.

He pulled back and grasped her hand as he led her to their bedroom. As they laid next to each other, trying to sleep, he glanced over at her.

"How did you-"

She cut him off again, this time with only the quiet words, "Because I know you, Danny."


	3. Chapter 3

_Note: So you guys are awesome. Also, I'm overcome with Dandy feels. _

_Again, please comment if you'd like me to continue. Your thoughts make me smile. _

_This has not been edited. You've been warned._

_Not a writer, just a professional fangirl. _

"What's a soulmate?"  
"It's a… Well, it's like a best friend, but more.

It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else.

It's someone who makes you a better person.

Well, actually, they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself because they inspire you.

A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever.

It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you,

and believed in you before anyone else did

or when no one else would.

And no matter what happens, you'll always love them."

xxxxx

**Chapter 3:** "It's someone who makes you a better person."

Six days. Finally, she would have six days with just Danny.

After the hilarious disaster that was their actual honeymoon, they'd been trying to plan a second honeymoon for years.

They'd scheduled trip after trip, only to be foiled by other plans every time. Though she wished she could blame Danny for their travel hiccups, every scheduling conflict had been her fault- the girls wine tasting trip that got rescheduled because Gwen got pregnant again, her insistence that they be in New York over Halloween weekend because she had found the perfect couple's costume, the fact that they couldn't be in out of cell range during Oscar ballot season, lest she miss the newest updates from E News.

Even in their own home, it seemed they couldn't escape constant distractions, from the hospital calling about patients, to peter showing up drunk on their doorstep, something was always distracting them.

But now, they had planned six days together- six days in the Caribbean no less. They were both silencing their phones for the duration of the trip, and leaving their patients in the capable hands of their fellow partners.

There was one patient that Mindy was slightly concerned about, but Danny had consistently reassured her that Anna would be fine. Anna was a 22- year- old soft spoken red- head, whose boyfriend had left her when he found out she was pregnant. She was about eight months now, and doing fine so far, but a rare blood disorder had made her pregnancy high risk. Mindy had taken care to see her much more often than the average patient, but so far, everything had been going fine.

Mindy cared deeply for all of her patients, but felt a special connection to Anna, and wanted desperately for her to be okay. Danny had seen a maternal connection develop between the two, even though Mindy would never acknowledge that herself. As his relationship with Mindy had grown and changed over the years, he'd seen her open her heart to others as well. Now that she knew that her heart was safe with him, she gave love freely and openly, and had developed a deep connection with the young girl.

They'd spent many exhausting nights going over Anna's file together, looking for things Mindy might have missed, but found nothing. One night, while laying in bed together, Danny mentioned that they should set up an account to help the young girl with some of her expenses, and Mindy looked surprised but happily relieved at his suggestion, still unaware of the depth of her own commitment to Anna.

But, Anna was fine. And, nothing would get in the way of their trip this time.

Danny loaded Mindy's suitcases into the cab while Mindy gave Peter specific instructions about Anna's case, should anything go wrong.

Peter, whose normally jovial and somewhat juvenile attitude never failed to lift her spirits, saw the tightness around her eyes in worry for Anna, and just gripped her hand, and said,

"I promise she'll be fine."

"Okay, I… Let me know if something happens, okay?"

He nodded, and then playfully shoved her toward Danny and their waiting cab.

Danny led her toward the door, and a smile broke out over her face as their eyes connected. Everything would be fine, and they'd finally get a break- together.

She whipped out her phone to review their trip itinerary on the way to the airport.

"And on Tuesday morning, we have a couples massage. And then after that they're going to give us a salt scrub and seaweed wrap-"

"Wait, you were serious about that?"

"Yes. Gwenyth Paltrow swears by seaweed wraps, Danny. They purify the skin."

"Ugh, I don't want some weird person wrapping me in seaweed. Why do we need that? Why can't seaweed just stay in the ocean where it belongs?"

He continued his diatribe about seaweed, and why wrapping it around oneself was a useless and narcissistic practice for idiots, but at the end of the day, they both knew he'd agree.

"D, this is happening, so you can agree now or agree later. Also, you're super old, and you definitely need it more than I do."

She smirked at him, her eyes twinkling with mirth. He grabbed her face with both hands and kissed her soundly as they pulled up at the airport. As he unloaded all of their luggage onto the sidewalk, she got her phone back out to pull up their boarding passes and noticed a new text from Peter.

"Anna was admitted. On my way to the hosp. now. More details to follow, but I'm sure it's fine."

That was ten minutes ago.

Her heart started pounding in her chest as she stared transfixed at her phone. Danny must have noticed her staring, because after a moment, she felt the phone being gently lifted out of her hands. She glanced up and smiled for a moment as she saw him bring the phone further from his face so he could read it.

He made eye contact with her, and seemed to understand what she needed before she could verbalize it. He walked back to the cab driver, and said something she couldn't hear, handed him a wad of cash, and then guided her back to the cab as the driver quickly threw their suitcases back into the trunk.

He kissed her temple, but said nothing, as they both mentally reviewed Anna's case, and stared at her phone, hoping for updates.

She was fairly certain that Danny had paid the cab driver a lot of money, because he was driving faster than she'd ever seen. They made it to the hospital and record time, and Danny shoved her toward the car door, while grabbing her phone and purse from her.

"I'll get this. You go."

Anna delivered that night. Mindy led the operation, with both Peter and Danny assisting. Danny had never seen Mindy so focused as she was in that surgery, but her diligence paid off.

Anna was fine, and her baby, though early, would be fine too.

After the operation was over, Danny went to the locker room to change, and then reviewed some of his patients files, knowing Mindy liked to take a few minutes by herself after stressful surgeries.

After waiting a while, he walked to the doctor's lounge in search of Mindy. When he didn't find her there, he immediately knew where she was, and cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier.

He asked the on- call nurse which room Anna had been moved to, and walked slowly to the door. He opened the door a few inches, and peeked his head in. He first saw Anna, finally sleeping in her hospital bed, looking pale, but relaxed. He then glanced to the chair by her bedside, and saw his wife with her hand clasped in Anna's, asleep with her head resting awkwardly on the back of her chair.

He picked up a chair from the other side of the room, and set it next to Mindy's. He wrapped an arm around her back and adjusted her head against his shoulder so she'd be more comfortable, and stared down at his wife with pride.

This was better than any vacation.


	4. Chapter 4

_Note: Thank you so much for the great response to this story. As always, PLEASE let me know what you think/ if you think I should continue this series. I love reading your comments. _

_Not a writer, just a professional fangirl. _

"What's a soulmate?"  
"It's a… Well, it's like a best friend, but more.

It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else.

It's someone who makes you a better person.

Well, actually, they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself because they inspire you.

A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever.

It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you,

and believed in you before anyone else did

or when no one else would.

And no matter what happens, you'll always love them."

xxxxx

xxxxx

**Chapter 4:** "Well, actually, they don't make you a better person… you do that for yourself because they inspire you."

He keeps glancing up from his paperwork at the framed pictures on his desk. He should really move those. The picture of Mindy, smiling with her head resting on his shoulder while dancing at their wedding could captivate him for hours. He has, more that once, been caught staring at it by a patient.

His eyes slide over to the next picture in the line of frames. This one is candid too: Mindy sitting on the grass, talking to little Dani animatedly, while Richie and their father look on from the side. He'd been walking over with everyone's lunches when he spotted that scene, and he was thankful that Mindy had taught him how to use his cell phone to take pictures.

He still isn't in the perfect place with his father, but he's getting better. His life with Mindy has been filled with more happiness than he could ever deserve. So, nowadays, he works as hard as he can to deserve it.

He smiles unconsciously, as he often does when he thinks about her, and resists the urge to walk over to her office for a mid- day make out. They can't get caught doing that again this week. And, he has work to do.

He looks back to his paperwork, ready to actually make some progress, when his office phone rings.

"This is Dr. Castellano."

His father's voice greets him on the other end of the phone, sounding quieter than usual.

"Danny, hi. Um, we… I need to tell you something."

Then his father told him, quickly rambling over the details, about the diagnosis, and the treatment plan, and how the prognosis was generally good, and some people are just fine, and that he just needed Danny to know.

His heart leaps to his throat, and his first thought is of that night years ago, before he and his father had reconnected, when he'd gripped Richie's arms tightly, and demanded that the never give their father his bone marrow. He wants so badly to erase that memory from his head.

"D- Dad? Um, okay. It's okay. Everything's going to be fine."

He'd only called his father "Dad" on a few occasions in his adult life. Somehow this time seemed the most important.

As father explains his diagnosis in more detail, Danny balances his office phone between his shoulder and cheek, and sends Jeremy a text. "I need you to take M's and my patients this week. Family emergency."

He gathers his things to leave for the day, and hangs up with his father, ending the call with, "We'll be right there."

He hangs up before his father can say that they shouldn't just pick up and leave.

He tells Mindy what happened, hating the crushed look the news puts on her face for a moment, before her mask of determination settles in. They pack, and they fly to L.A. four hours later.

Months later his father is given a clean bill of health.

His saving grace: Danny's bone marrow, given without a thought.


	5. Chapter 5

_Note: Wow. Again, thanks for the amazing response to this. I love reading your comments, so please let me know what you think/ if you want me to continue. _

_This chapter was weirdly inspired by a throwaway line from Danny in "L.A." about putting his cologne in the safe. Hope you like it! _

_As always, not a writer, just a professional fangirl. _

"What's a soulmate?"  
"It's a… Well, it's like a best friend, but more.

It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else.

It's someone who makes you a better person.

Well, actually, they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself because they inspire you.

A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever.

It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you,

and believed in you before anyone else did

or when no one else would.

And no matter what happens, you'll always love them."

xxxxx

xxxxx

**Chapter 5:** "A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever."

She had some time to wait before her patient was ready to deliver, so she let her mind wander. As they often did, her thoughts drifted to her husband.

He touches his wedding band. Constantly. She's sure he doesn't realize he's doing it, but it happens on a minute- to- minute basis.

She could always read him well, but his ring- tapping has become an easy barometer for his mood.

When he's stressed or thinking something over, he'll lay his hand flat on whatever surface is closest to him, and lift his ring finger up and down, creating a tiny tapping sound. The faster it taps, the more worried he is.

When he's happy, he'll close his hand slightly, and let his thumb graze the metal.

When he's upset, he'll twist the ring around and around his finger.

He doesn't think she knows about the tiny safe he bought for his locker at the hospital to house his ring while he's in surgery.

She'll never forget the look of awe and sheer joy on his face on their wedding day, when she pressed that ring onto his finger. He'd torn his gaze away from her eyes to stare down at the ring with reverence.

Her memories through the life of their marriage are forever tied to that ring.

Like when she told him she was pregnant and he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other around her neck, and she could feel the cool metal of his ring against her skin, as he whispered his happiness into her ear.

Or when she was forced to go on bed rest during her second pregnancy, and he had to leave town to speak at that medical conference. He had twisted his ring around and around his finger as he pressed kisses to her temple, needing to be reassured that she would be fine in his absence. She could hear the ring faintly tapping against the podium as she watched the live stream of his presentation.

She loves it. She loves that he's tied his emotional reactions to her in such a visceral way. She loves that he clings to a symbol of their union in times of stress, and that he gains strength from its presence. She loves that she notices things like this about him. After being together for so long, she knows his habits, and she ponders them in quiet moments.

She glanced up at the television and noticed that the show had changed without her notice. She reached for the remote with her free hand, keeping her other hand firmly around her Diet Coke. She started flipping though the channels as Danny walked in and flopped down next to her.

He dropped a kiss into her hair, and put his arm around her shoulders as he said, "What are we watching?"

She started to reply, "Not sure. I- ," when he cut her off.

"Are you stressed, Min?"

"A little. No more than usual. Why?"

Rather than answering verbally, he just focused his gaze to the can in her hand, and she noticed her ring finger tapping a rhythm into the aluminum.

She chuckled, and set the can down, leaning into him.

Maybe he's not the only one with that particular habit.


	6. Chapter 6

_Note: SO SORRY FOR MY LACK OF UPDATES! I've been on vacation for two weeks. I am so excited for the finale tonight, and I just had a burst of inspiration. Thank you so much for sticking with this story. Only two more chapters! As always, let me know if you want me to continue/ what you think of this chapter. I love to hear your thoughts. _

"What's a soulmate?"  
"It's a… Well, it's like a best friend, but more.

It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else.

It's someone who makes you a better person.

Well, actually, they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself because they inspire you.

A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever.

It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you,

and believed in you before anyone else did

or when no one else would.

And no matter what happens, you'll always love them."

xxxxx

**Chapter 6:** "It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you, and believed in you before anyone else did…"

They sway slowly on the dance floor. They'd abandoned their elaborate fast dancing hours ago, and since, they've just been turning lazy circles, Danny whisper- singing in her ear. Most of the couples have adjourned to their tables by this point, but you couldn't tear them away.

She's pregnant. Six weeks. No one knows yet. They're both gynecologists so they've seen things go wrong before.

They're just being cautious, but as much as it pains her to keep this from her friends and family, she loves having a secret like this with him again. It reminds her of when they first got together- the electricity of looking into his eyes and knowing, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that they were thinking the same thing.

They are at Rishi's wedding. His girlfriend_- wife_- Katherine is so sweet, and the wedding had been lovely, but, now, the night is winding down. She'd spend most of the night just holding a glass of wine. Everyone here knows that they'd never catch Mindy at a wedding without alcohol, so she keeps a glass by her side for appearances. No one seems to notice that the glass never empties.

After three more songs, Danny moves his hand from her waist to her elbow, to stop her from swaying.

"Maybe we should call it a night?"

He asks it questioningly, giving her the option to refuse, but the way his eyes dart down to her stomach and back up to her eyes seals the deal. She has precious cargo now, and she needs to take care of herself.

"Sure."

She leans back in to hug him, and presses a kiss to his jaw. He hugs her tighter, and seems to understand the unspoken- "Thanks for looking out for me – for _us_."

She pulls away, grabs his hand tightly.

"Let's go make the rounds!"

They spend half an hour more saying goodbye to all her relatives. He's met them all before, many times, but he's thrilled to see them again. They ask about the practice, and the redecoration of their home. They reminisce about Mindy and Danny's wedding, and discuss other absent relatives. They laugh together and promise to see each other soon.

They leave Rishi for last. They wish him heartfelt congratulations again, and Mindy hugs him as tightly as she can. He grumbles about them leaving early- now he's lost his last line of defense against nosy distant relations.

As they exit the side door, they can hear Mindy's great aunt starting to pester Katherine about when she'll start having kids.

They laugh at Katie's panicked, "Um. I- I'm not sure yet," as Danny walks ahead to flag down a cab.

As she steps off of the curb, holding Danny's outstretched hand, she starts to think about her family's response to Katie. They all love her and have congratulated Rishi over and over. During the wedding reception each member of the family greeted her with open arms and kind smiles, telling embarrassing stories about Rishi as a child, and wishing them happiness. But, now that she thinks about it, each conversation she'd overhead had ended the same way, "So, when are you two planning to start a family?"

Katie had stammered a response each time, and Rishi had swooped in to change the conversation.

She slides into the back of the cab, and tries to compare this to her own wedding. Her family was just as intrusive then, telling Danny stories about how Mindy accidentally dove into the wrong lane during a swim meet and landed on another kid. Somehow her braces had gotten stuck in this other girl's hair. Danny had been laughing with tears streaming down his face as Rishi recounted that particular tale.

She pushes that memory aside and tried to pinpoint a family member, at her wedding, or since, inquiring about children. A few others have- their friends or acquaintances- but as she searches for memories of her own family asking, she comes up empty.

They next question comes to her without warning. Why? Why Rishi and Katherine and not her? Is it because they're younger or because Katherine is so naturally sweet? Why would they not even wonder whether we should have children?

She twists her hands in her lap, as her usually confident mindset leaves her. She glances over at Danny to find him desperately trying to increase the font size on his phone so he can read an email.

She sits back and sighs. Maybe they didn't ask because they don't think we should have kids. Maybe they don't think I'm right for this. Maybe they don't think I would be a good mother.

Maybe they're right.

Her hands twist into the hem of her dress as she tries to come up with evidence against these perceived allegations. She can't come up with anything. What does she know about parenting? When has she ever been maternal? They're right about this.

Her mental spiral is stopped by a huff of frustration from Danny. She glances over at him, expecting to seem him glaring at his phone. Instead, he is staring at her. He has leveled her with an intense gaze, as though he knows exactly what she's thinking.

"Okay, out with it."

"What?" She gasps, taken aback .

"Out with it. I can see your upset, and I've let this go on long enough. What's going on?"

She immediately shakes her head, "Danny, I-"

He just stares back.

"Min. We're doing this. Out with it."

Then the dam breaks. The words spill out like they always do when Danny gets her to admit something, and she's crying and hiccupping and talking so fast she can barely breathe.

He pulls her across the seat and onto his lap in a matter of seconds and she presses her face to his shoulder, and tries to control her breathing. He whispers words she can't hear into her ear until she finally calms down enough to listen. He's repeating something over and over again, and the syllables seem to have lost their meaning, but it sounds something like, "I love you."

He pulls her face away from his shoulder so they can look eye to eye. He opens his mouth to speak, but pauses to kiss her quickly.

"Okay, I'm going to say a few things, so listen to me okay? Just hear me out."

She interrupts before she can think, "Danny I always listen to –"

He gives her a knowing glance, and she just nods.

"First of all, I love you. I love you so much. I love you more than I ever thought I was capable of loving anyone. You know that, right?"

She smiles. "I know."

"Good. Next thing- " he pauses like he's trying to remember the second item off of a list in his head.

"Next thing- your family wasn't making any judgments about your ability to parent. This is their way of showing they respect you enough not to push you. They know you, Mindy. They know you march to the beat of your own drum. You can't be bullied or pressured into things. You want what you want. I think they didn't want to guilt or pressure you into something you didn't want."

He pauses for a breath, and reaches out to caress her cheek.

"And, I mean, think about Rishi, how much he looks up to you, and relies on you. The last thing he'd ever say about you is that you can't do this."

She smiles, nodding. He always knows what to say to her. He hand rests against her stomach again. She's calmer now.

"Danny, thank you- "

He cuts her off.

"One more thing, and I promise I'm done. You are the most loving and caring person I have ever met."

She glances down, away from his eyes, but he tips her chin back toward his, and pauses until she looks back into his eyes.

"You are the most loving person I have ever known. Look at me- look how you've changed me. Look at my relationship with my Dad, and with Dani. That's all you, babe. Your heart is full of so much love, I'm just in awe of you everyday. I wasn't even sure I wanted to have any more kids until we got together. But I just looked at you, and I thought, she has so much love to give."

She's crying again, but differently. She smiles reverently at him, and they kiss quietly.

He understands her. He believes in her. That's more than enough. They can do this.

He wraps an arm around her shoulders and adds, "And it was pretty fun to make this one, huh?" tapping her stomach with his pointer finger.

A laugh bubbles unexpectedly from her throat. A few seconds later she realizes they have had this entire conversation in the back of the cab, and the cab driver can hear everything.

_Oh well_, she thinks as she relaxes against Danny's shoulder, _only in New York_.


	7. Chapter 7

**Note:** I'm back guys! So sorry for the delay. I graduated from college this month, so I've been a little busy. The last chapter will be up soon. As always, PLEASE comment. Your comments GIVE ME LIFE.

"What's a soulmate?"  
"It's a… Well, it's like a best friend, but more.

It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else.

It's someone who makes you a better person.

Well, actually, they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself because they inspire you.

A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever.

It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you,

and believed in you before anyone else did

or when no one else would.

And no matter what happens, you'll always love them."

**Chapter 7:** "… or when no one else would."

Somehow she became Kelly Ripa's gynecologist. She's not really sure exactly what happened, but one of the moms in Chloe's pre-school went to high school with Kelly, and saw her at a time she happened to need an OB/ GYN referral and mentioned that one of her son's classmates' mother's was a lovely OB/GYN and gave out her number.

She had panicked when Kelly called herself to schedule the appointment, and accidentally went on a rant about her chemistry with Regis vs. Michael, and how she was sure Michael would love her because all black guys love her. Kelly, to her credit, just laughed and booked a mid- afternoon appointment.

She'd been Kelly's doctor for a few years now, and though Mindy was still painfully aware of her celebrity status, they'd become friends. They'd shared stories during long chats in her office, and Mindy had peppered her with questions about her interviews with her favorite celebrities.

Despite these talks, and despite what her co-workers may have thought, their relationship stayed mostly professional. As much as she wished she could grill Kelly for hours about her famous friends, she was her doctor first.

That's why Kelly's offer was such a shock.

Apparently a friend of a friend at CNN was looking for a new part- time Medical Commentator. Kelly had offered up Mindy without a thought, citing her engaging personality as evidence enough of her ability to connect with an audience.

When news broke of her offer in the office and amongst her friends and family, the jokes never ceased.

They remembered her days with Erica Everywoman and joked at the idea of a puppet on CNN.

They laughed as they said she'd spent so much time with Danny, that she might start uncontrollably sweating on camera too.

She laughed and said the same thing every time.

"I know. Crazy right?"

"It was so sweet of her, but I just have too much going on."

"Wouldn't that be crazy? Yeah. No, I'm not doing it, but Kelly's so sweet for offering."

She sat on the couch with Danny as he flipped through the channels.

She smiled. She knew they were right. She would be a disaster. She couldn't do this. Kelly's analysis of her alone in an office meant nothing compared to her past humiliation.

She smiled. She wished they weren't right. She wanted to be a celebrity doctor, before she even wanted to be a doctor.

She kept smiling, dimmer. That was a silly pipe dream.

She planned to call the next morning, and tell Kelly, "Thanks, but no thanks." Maybe Kelly would find her puppet story hilarious, like all her friends had. At least that was something.

She sighed and Danny cleared his throat without looking at her.

She glanced over and he spoke with a clear voice.

"You know, you never asked me what I thought you should do."

"About what?"

He spared her an amused glance.

"You know about what- about the TV thing."

He paused waiting for her to ask his opinion. She was silent for a beat, and then rushed to explain herself.

"Well, you know, I never even really considered it, so there's nothing to have an opinion about. I mean-"

He cut her off.

"I think-"

He waited for her full attention.

"I think you should do it. In fact, I'm kind of shocked you were even considering saying no. "

"But, I- "

He cut her off again.

"Think for a second. Give me one good reason- one REAL reason -why this won't work. And don't say the puppet thing, because we both know that doesn't hold water here. People are just making a joke at your expense. Give me a reason that you would actually be bad at this or that is would actually make your life- our lives- worse, and I will support your decision to call her tomorrow and tell her no."

She paused for a second, leaning back into the couch, and pressed her lips together. She put others' comments out of her mind and thought about what it would actually be like.

She felt a smile stretching across her face, and Danny swept down to kiss her.

A little less than a month later, she and Danny were backstage at CNN, and she was sitting in the make-up chair. She was half terrified, and half reminiscent of their time at the other studio so many years ago.

Danny had been keeping her calm all day, whispering support in her ear and making her believe that this wasn't crazy, and she could maybe actually do this.

Someone knocked on the green room door, and their eyes connected in the vanity mirror.

He just pressed a kiss to her ear.

"Knock 'em dead, Min."


	8. Chapter 8

Wow. Thank you so much for the response to that last chapter and this fic in general. This my first real attempt at fanfic, and I'm so happy so many people have read it.

Who knows? I might write more in the future.

Please comment to let me know what you think!

For the last time, based in this quote:

"What's a soulmate?"  
"It's a… Well, it's like a best friend, but more.  
It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else.  
It's someone who makes you a better person.  
Well, actually, they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself because they inspire you.  
A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever.  
It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you,  
and believed in you before anyone else did  
or when no one else would.  
And no matter what happens, you'll always love them."

**xxxxxxxx**

**Chapter 8:** "And no matter what happens, you'll always love them."

I love you.

That's his first thought every morning when he rolls over and sees her face.

Sometimes he thinks their honeymoon period is long over, and sometimes he thinks they're still living in it.

He still feels the same jolt deep in his chest when he watches applying her make- up, or flipping through channels on the couch in the doctor's lounge.

It's the same feeling he had that night atop the Empire State Building, except richer somehow, because now he's confident that he can feel this way again and again. He finally knows he won't lose her.

He not sure exactly when he transitioned from the terrified guy who left her crying in her bedroom, scared of shattering something he thought was so fragile, to the man he is now.

He thinks about it sometimes- how he feels different- how he doesn't even feel like that guy anymore.

He thinks maybe his confidence stems from something she said a few weeks into their official relationship.

They'd been blissfully happy since that night at the ESB, and they'd spent almost every moment together, their hearts finally at peace after months, really years, of strain.

But, they hadn't fought. It wasn't that they were holding back really, it was more that there wasn't much to fight about. Mostly at that time, they were just having sex constantly to make up for lost time, so there weren't many fights to be had.

Eventually, their sex decreased from a frenzied- multiple- times- a- day type of thing, to their, now normal, almost –everyday- but- no- pressure- kind of thing. With this slowness, returned some normalcy in their relationship, and with this normalcy, the return of fights.

It was stupid. Although, now that he thinks about it, all their fights are stupid. They don't really fight about the big stuff.

Some disagreement about the music playing on the radio led to a fight about narcissism and pop culture and the general use of their time. His voice was raised, enough that the rest of the practice could probably hear him even though he and Mindy were sitting in the break room alone. He was about to make another well- executed argument about why he was right about this, beyond the shadow of a doubt, when he suddenly stopped. He realized, this wasn't just his friend anymore, this was his GIRLFRIEND, even more than that his ONE, his SOULMATE. He had to tread lightly. This was fragile. He stopped mid- sentence, and finished with a "- but, I mean whatever you think sounds good too." He grabbed his paper, and flipped to an article he'd already read. He pretended to read it anyway.

He expected to hear a triumphant remark from her, but instead he felt her stare.

He glanced back up to see her giving him the tiniest of smiles.

She spoke before he could question her.

"You're afraid to disagree with me." She said it accusingly and poked his chest with her finger.

"What? No, I'm not! I just had, you know a change of heart. Isn't that –"

She interrupted him.

"No. I know you, Danny. You will fight over the dumbest things ever, and you never change your mind. If I'm being honest, we have that in common. But you stopped. You don't want to fight with me."

She took in a deep breath, like she was about to give him a speech about why he was so stupid for his currently held opinion, but then she paused and let it out. She stood up, kissed him on the forehead, and left the room.

He sat there, stunned, wondering what had just happened. Had him not fighting made her mad? Mad enough to leave?

Just then she reentered, stomping on her Pradas and brandishing a shiny wooden box that looked oddly reminiscent of the one he kept in his desk.

"Hey! Where did you get that?"

"Relax. I know all your secrets, Castellano."

She placed the box on the table, reverently- more reverently than he'd ever seen her treat any object. She opened the box and pointed to the earrings he knew were lying right in the front.

"Look at these. These mean we're in this for the long haul. Do you know what that means, Danny?

She stared at him expectantly, and he racked his brain to find a fitting answer. It meant a lot of things. It meant everything.

She interrupted his train of thought.

"It means that you and I are doing this. Our lives are going to include fighting- and knowing us, probably a lot of fighting. And, you know what? That's okay."

She grabbed his hand across the table and squeezed, waiting for that to sink in.

"I am going to say one thing, and then I'm going to go, because I have a patient, and because you'll probably need to go work out and think this over. So, here goes:

Our life together is going to be fine, you know what, it's actually going to be great, because I believe in us. I believe in you. As long as everyday always starts with "I love you," and ends with "I love you," we can handle anything. "

She didn't wait to see his reaction. She just kissed the corner of his mouth, and rushed back to her office to greet her new patient.

He sat there frozen for a few minutes. Then he put the box back in his desk and went for a run. He ran and ran until his legs ached and her voice echoed in his mind. It always starts with I love you and it always ends with I love you.

Since then, he hasn't been so scared. They argue almost incessantly, just like they used to, but every word is infused with love.

She still comments on his terrible obsession with "Jacob Dylan's dad" and he still complains when she makes him proofread her Real Housewives blog posts.

Every night he just turns and curls his arm around her waist and whispers his silent prayer.

I love you.


End file.
